Andrade’s AEW return may have reignited his career, but WWE has reportedly done everything possible to slow that momentum, and one former star is not staying quiet about it.

During a recent episode of The Stevie Richards Show, Stevie Richards gave a scathing assessment of WWE’s contract practices, particularly their use of one-year non-compete clauses. Richards accused the company of using its power and vague contract language to prevent released talent from working elsewhere, even if it means keeping them unpaid and inactive.

“A one-year no-compete, though, man, that’s beyond the pale, especially when we still argue to this day , are they independent contractors or are they employees? They’re independent contractors when it’s convenient for WWE; they’re employees when it’s even more convenient for WWE. WWE wants to abuse this clause whenever they want to, especially with Andrade.”

Richards went on to criticise WWE’s “just cause” clause, saying it gives the company too much freedom to define what counts as misconduct. He suggested that something as simple as objecting to a storyline could be twisted into grounds for punishment.

“What constitutes just cause? What if somebody refuses to do a storyline that’s against their morals or character? WWE could call that insubordination and use it to ban them for a year. Can this be manipulated by the company? Oh, absolutely.”

Drawing comparisons to the NFL’s morality clause, Richards argued that WWE takes things even further by silencing and freezing talent under the pretense of policy.

“Everybody manipulates this type of morality clause in the NFL. If you send out a tweet or anything happens that they don’t like, they can suspend you or ban you. This makes the professional wrestling contract, somehow , and I didn’t think it was possible , even more one-sided in favor of the promoter and not the talent.”

Richards also warned that WWE’s restrictions might stop Andrade from pursuing opportunities outside wrestling, such as MMA or acting, because of the vague wording in their agreements.

“If Andrade even wanted to do MMA, he’s not allowed to do that. It encompasses anything combat sport or even entertainment… Say you wanted to be an action star , isn’t that considered a mix between entertainment and combat sports?”

Reports suggest Andrade has legal representation ready to act, and there is talk that WWE’s non-compete clause could face a legal challenge, particularly if the company is withholding pay. Should the clause be deemed unenforceable under U.S. labor law, it could have major implications for WWE’s contract system.

Richards concluded by calling the entire setup an intentional tactic designed to strip away a performer’s momentum before they can bring it to another promotion.

“It’s obviously set up so that in three months, in the wrestling universe, you lose a lot of steam. So, they do not want you going to a competing promotion… that actually, in itself, shows they want to protect the competition from capitalizing on any steam, push, or momentum that a talent had in WWE.”